Day 70 - All about Contrast

I was watching videos on how to paint trees today on Youtube...rainy day not many expectations right??! 

I ended up painting 8 -10 trees and wasnt happy with any of them till I realized what was wrong with the last three...not enough contrast...about 8 pm I started adding more darks to them....and here are the before and after painitns...its all about the C O N T R A S T!! Not enough and watercolor just will NOT pop..it just lays lifeless on the paper.

These are sycamores I can see out my windows...the Savannah River is lined with them...and they are all turning a lovely yellow green right now...

Before

This tree kept growing...its way too rectangular but at least it looks better in the second one.

After 

More contrast under the limbs, and in the grasses...and of course in the leaves.

Before ...I actually was sort of pleased with this one till I took a pic of it...and then WAS NOT pleased!!  Blasé!!!

After

..the branches really are popping which they do on a sycamore...one reason they are my favorite tree...the lovely white shiny bark.

 I actually was sort of pleased with this one...and it was quite involved to paint.  First I drew it and masked out all the branches and the trunks.  Then I painted all the leaves yellow.  I then did negative painting around it with cobalt and cerulean to define and make the yellow pop.  Yellow and blue are contrasting colors so blue makes yellow pop.

Before

Here's the whole thing...not enough contrast in the grass...and more needed to make the branches stand out...but not bad compared to the first two...

After

Lots of contrast in the tree, on the branches and in the grasses at the foot of the trees.  Grass lines the river banks here unless you keep your yard manicured...I dont mind a weed or two where they belong!! :)

So next time a waterolor looks flat ...dont blame the papere which i was doing...add some more contrast!! 

Thanks for looking!!

Day 66 - Plein Air?

You decide!  I paint out my window in the cool ac. Essential in the humid south.

September 10 Out My Window

I seem to paint this three four times a week.  

Today I painted this in my new as in page 4 of my Handprint journal that looks like a Moleskine but the paper...well that paper.  It's not up to snuff...thinner. Doesn't lay flat when its dry.  And acts odd. I don't know how to explain it. Almost like hot press?  It just seems to repel the watercolor at times. 

The wash on the paper dried so fast the paper seemed to suck up the water...perfect one second DRY the next. I was amazed it dried so quickly!

 Took a while to get this one where I liked it.  The trees are already turning gold on the river. And I always love the gleam of the sycamore bark in the sunlight.  

The skies which had been full of puffy white clouds as I ran errands today of course were overcast with a little blue by the time I got home...hmm where did those lovely skies go?? And OF COURSE as soon as I got done painting a nice blue sky again with puffy clouds!! Darn!!  

Painted with cerulean and cobalt in the sky with yellow ochre and raw sienna  added for the greys.  The trees are Daniel Smith New gamboge, Green Apatite, Hematite, Indigo and touches of white gouache for the sycamore trunks.  

Really like the trees today.  I started with new gamboge then added the Green Apatite - Don't you love that name?  Then I darkened it with a bit of Hematite and alot of Indigo for the dark darks.  The way the paper drank the water I didnt have a chance to scratch in tree trunks so I painted them first with Indigo and then with some white gouache.

This is where I sit in front of the sliding doors in the den and paint out my back door.  Paints are on a large industrial sized cookie sheet. Includes the water and paper towels and other things like markers.  I use one of the  Fiesta Ware cups to keep the water in.  Don't want it to spill, since I am rarely where I should be painting...works great on the new sectional sofa! Don't tell anyone!!

Also great for clearing up your mess if the need arises...or moving your set up quickly!

My palette is a Holbein handheld palette that folds up from www.artexpress.com.  Expensive but I love it....not so heavy as those enamel butcher trays!! 

The stool is a folding stool that I picked up for $5 at Marshals...short people can NOT have enough stools...especially when you add a nice feather pillow to sit on while you paint!!

River Bend

Pretty soon this will be the view out the window.  Leaves are beginning to fall.  This is a pencil sketch on Bristol board I did out my window a few winters back...does that count as Plein Air?!  I do love Nekkid trees!!

Thanks for looking!!!

Day 49 - Tom again

Tom hiding

This time he's  in the clean sheets. He does love to hide in anything fabric or a bag or a small space.  Can a cat be right handed? He's fond of sticking his right foot out.  All those white sheets...shading done with cerulean and yellow ochre, cobalt and sienna.  Once againTom was done with a wash of a light buff yellow, then sienna, piemonite and burnt umber.  I think this one should be called practice practice practice...because it really does make perfect.

Sunday on River Bend

Painted with cobalt and cerulean blue for the sky color.  The rest is done with the Primateks.  Really enjoy the way they granulate...alot of fun in both the clouds and the trees.

Instead of a wet wash for the sky I painted the sky color first to define the shapes of the clouds...Then I added a wet wash for the trees and the water.  I also tried to time painting this painting..as in I quit after about 15 20 minutes.  Sometimes more is NOT better.  

Day 46 - Daniel Smith Watercolor 66 Sample Chart

I tried out my Daniel Smith Watercolor 66 Sample Chart today. I bought it at Binders-Atlanta for about $5 last weekend.   First I made samples from the colors. Then I painted three small paintings using it.

River  Bend Summer

This is the first painting I did using the color chart.  I really like the way the Primateks granulated in the trees...A nice effect I think.  I also used Pearlescent white on the tree trunks to give the effect the sycamores give when you look at them.  They seem to glow. To the left of the painting I listed all of the colors I used painting this picture so I wouldn't forget.

Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Try It Color Chart

Primateks, Quinacridones and Cadmiums

The 66 color chart is a great way to try out all the colors without buying the tube. I got mine at Binders for about $5. Primateks are quite expensive. Lapis Lazuli can cost $30 in an art store...$20 on Amazon.

Now I know which Primateks I like and which ones I don't think I want.  What did I like about the Primateks?  I liked the way they granulated and that they were very transparent. Even used in heavy applications they retained their transparency.

I had been really wanting Lapis Lazuli.  Now I don't.  Its neither as bright or dark as I thought it would be.  I do want the greens and two of the other blues - Sodalite, Blue Agatite, Diopside, Jadeite and Serpentine. I have Hematite and Piemonite.

I already own all of the Quinacridones and just love the bright pops of color they give and I have New Gamboge which I use frequently- a perfect color for sycamores this time of the year.

Pearlescent, Iridescents and Duochromes

I love sparkly pearly colors.  These do that so well...but they are best used over another color to shift the color.  I own most of these except for the Duochromes which color shift into two different colors.

Stay tuned for Part 2 Tomorrow...two paintings done with the paints.

Day 40 - Is there a flood??

Seems along forty days today. I wonder how Noah did it?? My new granddaughter was born at 12:45 am today so we are all a little tired.

So I am posting a painting I finished I earlier this week.

Out my Window

This painting gave me a fit. The clouds were far too dark so I took the piece of Mr Clean to them and lightened them. Then I lightened them some more with a white inktense crayon but I didn't wet it like you normally would so it stayed bright white.









But I think perhaps there's still too much sky. Sometimes you have to crop a painting to improve it. Here it is cropped. Which one do you like better??

Day 34-Storm Part Two

Storms on the river are often exciting. The winds can shriek down the Savannah. You can watch the storms blowing in from the west.

Last nite's started with a Thundercall:Red Alert status. Winds torrential rains lightening thunder hail. We were off to a good start with a power outage about 6:30.

Thundercall:Red Alert

The sky changed from angry threatening clouds to soft grey as soon as the storm started. Temps fell almost 20 degrees in minutes. The pool was filled so at least two inches of rain. Wild winds. No hail. Quivery dogs from the thunder and lightening. 

So what did I do?? I journaled it...the lettering was handpainted with a round brush and watercolors and the outlining was done with this really neat set of Pentel Fountain pens I got at Binders...7 different colors for $14....I LOVE them.  Anyway they bled when I decided to paint the background a very watered down yellow but I like the effect which is watery and rainy.  All the writing was done with the Pentel Fountain pens too...I am just sad they are NOT refillable...guess they can't be perfect right?!

The watercolor of the river was painted with a washed sky of watery indigo as was the river...the trees were painted with new gamboge, sap and Pthalo green and a little indigo.

Storm From the West

Reposting so u can see before the storm. The skies change so quickly it's hard to paint them from nature. 

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 32 - You thought I would quit?

Evidently I have more to say and more to paint !! I have been painting the clouds, the trees and the river for a while now.

Kayak Weather

Which is almost any day from April til November on our stretch of the Savannah. If it's sunny someone's going to be out there paddling a kayak.

I decided to paint it vertically in my moleskine and to add a kayaker because I was getting tired of just sky trees and water. I like the way it turned out.

The clouds grey is - you guessed it! Cerulean and yellow ochre. Got a little dark so I lightened it with a wedge of that fabulous Mr Cleab eraser!

Oh here's a TIP :

To make the kayaker stand out after I used that white gelt roll pen to make him  as bright as possible.

I did some negative painting of darker greens around him even though the water was really sparkly around him. He was disappearing into the sparkle so next time remember it's all about contrast!!! You have to make the background darker!!!

 Well that's if you want an object to pop!!

I also think it could use a crop. An inch or so off the top and bottom. That's just me. What do you think?!

Time to paint something else !!

Painting on the rivah

A great crowd!

Yesterday the Art Guild of Columbia County came over to my house to paint...draw photo sketch whatever...here are some pics

Enjoying the 70 degree day...watch out for those ants!

Casey, Margaret W, a lady from Texas and Nancy C is hiding behind them all!

Jazz thinks everyone came to see her! Posing for photo ops!

Staci using fabric and paint to make a whip up a storm of painting...

more of this tomorrowWhoever knew there was a boat dock under my fav sycamores?? I take their pics all the time from the back deck but from the edge of the river ...a whole new perspective...

Sharon and Jack hold up under the sycamores painting the opposite trees...

Sharon painting the other sycamores

Saturday storm-white caps on the river

Heres the same view NOT an hour later....

and nary a storm cloud in the sky ...isnt weather wild...and all the time the local tv weather guys had all kinds of wild storms passing right over us

hmmm if i could have remembered to hold down the button on the camera this video would have all been in one...this is the same wild storm blowing down the Savannah River that blew thru Atlanta earlier today tearing up Centennial Park, Westin Peachtree and the Equitable Building as well as tearing up a block in Cabbage Town a part of town just east of downtown Atlanta

The local tv channels have been covering this storm for THREE hours now...must have been a REALLY wild one...they are telling everyone to stay home...trees down all over the CSRA, power outages...glad we have the lights on...now where is my greys anatomy cd?!

BTYW did you know that our local Channel 12 WRDW has a service that will let you put your phone number in and they will automatically call you when there is a tornado watch in your area...we would have been called last nite ....we were in the zone...cool huh?

An awesome sunrise

Yesterday morning...leaned off the back porch in my jammies in the 29 degree weather to snap this picture...it was worth freezing for right?!

What an AWESOME morning...and it was gone in a few minutes...the color of the sky was incredible!